The Russellville Democrat., 1887-03-23
THIRTEENTH YEAR.--NO.9
"BilI Arp" on Farming.

oe they know what is best for us,
but 1t seems to me we have enough,
such as they are. We want better
farmers. We want farmers who
can make farming pay. Nine tenths
of our farmers just barely squeeze
along. They don't accumulate
they can't. 1t takes a very smart
man to make any surplus at farming
and smart men are scarce. Most
of our farmers work hard and do
their best, but not one in ten can get
ahead if there is a dependent family
to support. Most OF them get be-
hind and belong to somebody. They
are under mortgage. Our newspa-
pers make big fuss over man
who is making money by farming.
HIS name and his crops are
| handed around. There are ten in a
county and there ought to be fuss
made over them. They are excep-
tions not the rule. Those ten have
got or have had some special advan-
/ tage that the masses of The farmers
have not. Now and then you find q
man who would get rich anywhere
at anything, bat he is apt to be
mean and scrupulous. Let US take
humanity as it is, and it is a fact
that our farmers are discouraged
and have reason to be. Rowland
4 rents land from me- He is better
farmer than the average; he works
i hard and never gets tired and never
complains. He has wife and five
small children. He owns good
mule and wagon and COW and some
hogs. He never goes in debt. He
owes no man anything. and feels his
| independence; but Rowland does
not make any surplus-nothing but
slim support. A big doctors bill
would ruin him. If his mule was
| to die or some rascal was to steal
her. Rowland wouldn't get over it
in five years. Mrs. Rowland helps
her husband all that she can; she
raises fowls and sells chickens and
eggs; she is economical and prudent,
and Rowland Is strictly temperate.
SO now what is the matter? / think
that if the wheat crop had not been
a failure last year, Rowland would
have gotten ahead little, but some
thing fails most every year. If the
produce does not fail the price does.
With cotton at eight or eight and a
half cents a pound he gets about
fifty cents day for his labor-per
haps less. He could get dollar a
! day in the mines that are near by.
| Why is it that every thing prospers
/ but farming? The towns and cities
are growing rich. The country
keeps poor. Cities get on boom
and capital flows TO them in stream,
/ but there is no boom for the coun
try. No wonder that our ambitious
young men flock 10 the towns. |
have been writing up the country
for ten years and trying to entice
our educated, progressive young
men TO go to the country and farm
intelligently and be happy, but in
vain. They are smarter than
/ thought. They see the merchant
getting rich and the farmer getting
poor, and so they try merchandise
or some other town occupation.
Most every body is going to town
that can get there. My nabors are
all going. Nabors Aubrey, and
Freeman and Debblns and Cotton
and Keever and Montgomery and
Buford used to farm near me, but
they are all gone, gone to town.
Their farms are occupied by some
body-negroes manly.
Do you think we want more farm
ers? Will more farmers make farm
ing pay better? Will it make farm
ing lands worth more money? Bar
tow county averaged ten dollars an
acre a few years ago. They don't
average but seven now. win more
farmers increase their valueY No.
The value of our lands depends upon
what we can make upon them, and
we can't make anything now. The
staple crops are to low, and we have
no market for the side crops or those
from the garden and orchard. There
is too great competition among
the farmers and not enough consu
mers.